A businessman, Mr Ifeoluwa Oluwo, has narrated how the laptop of the murdered Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Michael Ataga, was sold to him for N495,000 by Chidinma Ojukwu two days after Ataga’s body was found.
Chidinma, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, was accused of killing Ataga.
The undergraduate and two others, Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu, are undergoing trial before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos State.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Oluwo, the third prosecution witness, was led in evidence by the Lagos State prosecuting counsel, Mr Yusuf Sule.
Oluwo said he sells phones, laptops, and accessories at Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, and has been in the business for five years.
According to him, after seeing Chidinma on social media after the sale of the laptop, he immediately ensured that all her documents were kept handy.
The witness identified Chidinma as a customer who had purchased a phone on April 30 and also sold a laptop on June 18, at the same office.
Oluwo said;
On June 18, Chidinma sold me a MacBook Pro laptop for N495,000 after negotiations and market value comparison. In order to make a sale, you have to submit some documents and fill a form with your government identification card, driving license, international passport, voters’ card, and National Identification Number.
You also have to fill a form which includes email, phone number, house address, and full name. It will also contain the full value of the item for that day, the name of the item, and the serial number of the item. This is what we do to contact a customer if there are any issues.
He stressed;
I asked Chidinma to unlock the laptop and she did. So, I conducted my internal observation which included speed performance, the circle count of the battery, and general functionality.vAfter that, I proceeded to ask questions, ‘Do you have a receipt for this laptop?’
She stated that it was a gift from her boyfriend and that she had two laptops and needed to sell one to pay some bills.
Oluwo added;
I conducted a check on a website for my market evaluation. I confirmed the value of the laptop. It was $1,000 to $1,200. The exchange rate of dollars at that time was N400 to N450 and she wanted to sell for N600,000. We were able to negotiate for N495,000, which I initiated from my UBA bank account to her Sterling bank account.
When asked if Chidinma had produced the receipt of the laptop, Oluwo stated that she was not able to provide the receipt as she had insisted that it was a gift from her boyfriend.
He noted;
After the sale of the laptop, we saw her face on social media regarding a murder case. A few days later, the police from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, invited my manager, Olutayo Abayomi.
When I got to the police station, I discovered that it was in connection to the laptop we bought from Chidinma on June 18.vWe both made a statement detailing how we came about the laptop and how we made the purchase.
Oluwo said;
We gave the police the documents of the former owner, which included a copy of her voters’ card, a copy of our form, and all receipts which already have her information regarding the laptop. There is no way we can detect that a phone or laptop was a stolen one.
During cross-examination, Chidinma’s counsel, Onwuka Egbu, asked if he was shown any documents, receipts, or proof of ownership to show that the laptop was not for the first defendant at Panti but the witness said he was not shown any.
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The trial continued before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, of the Lagos State High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
The prosecution called the witness, Mr Oluwo Ifeoluwa, a businessman involved in sales of phones laptops, and accessories for five years.
During examination, he identified the first defendant (Chidinma) as the person who came to sell a laptop. According to him, she made a purchase at his office on April 30 and a sale on June 18, 2021, of ‘her’ laptop.
Mr Ifeoluwa confirmed that as dealers in buying and selling of phones, laptops and other accessories, the first defendant came to resell on June 18, 2021, a Macbook pro.
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He also explained that after conducting due diligence on the items, he asked her to put in her password to access it, which she did and unlocked it.
He said further that he asked if she had a receipt of purchase for the laptop and if the laptop is for her? According to him, she replied that it was a gift from her boyfriend and that she has two laptops, so she needs to sell one to pay some bills.
He added that Chidinma asked for N600,000 but they were able to negotiate N495,000 and only after the forms were filled and documents were in his possession was the bank transfer made.
Afterwards, he said he heard the news on social media regarding the murder case and theft of a laptop. According to him, the name was familiar and close to the name of the customer. He said a few days later the police invited himself and his manager for questioning where they gave their statement.
Without further cross-examination by the other counsels, Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the matter to the 29th and 30th November for the continuation of trial.
